The Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Back

Strengthening your lower back can help to ease lower back pain, increase your confidence with strength training and improve overall strength. If you’ve ever struggled with lower back pain you know how important it is to feel like you are protecting yourself and getting stronger. These exercises will help you build a stronger core, strengthen your lower back and remain injury and pain free!

The Benefits of a Strong Lower Back

Having a strong lower back isn’t just important at the gym. Your back is the center of movement for you whole body. Pain in your back, or a weak lower back, effects everything – your hips, your neck, your arms, your legs…

Bending, stretching, twisting, reaching – all of these basic, life movements stem from the back. A strong back isn’t obvious on the outside, but you’ll know.

Building strength in your lower back will improve your core strength. It’ll help you get stronger in all of your lifts from squats to deadlifts, to rows and shoulder press. Your posture will improve and with that, your confidence!

Plus, if you want to move freely, and without pain, for a long time to come, you have to start thinking about strengthening your back!

7 Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Back

If you ever experience lower back aches, don’t ignore it. If it’s severe, please check with your doctor! And know that there are gentle exercises that you can do to increase strength in your back and move without pain.

You’ll see that these are all body weight movements. But as you strengthen your lower back and start to feel more confident, you can add weight or band tension to up the challenge.

Build these exercises into your weekly routine as a giant set, or as individual exercises added to your normal workout.

Hip Bridges

Hip bridges are an excellent exercise to strengthen your lower back that you can do at any fitness level. Done correctly, you’ll target your core, glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Hip Bridges don’t place pressure on your lower back, making it an excellent move to build strength and stability. This is also a good strength exercise for anyone experiencing hip or knee pain!

Watch the video below to nail your form!

Lie face up on a mat with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms at your sides. Keeping your back straight, squeeze your glutes to lift your hips up off the floor, pushing towards the ceiling until your knees, back and shoulders forma straight line. Pause and the slowly drop hips back towards the floor.

Superman

The Superman exercise, and all of the variations that come with it, is an excellent way to increase strength and stability in erector spinae and other muscles that support, protect and move your spine. It’ll improve your posture and core strength. What’s more, it’s easy to do properly and requires no equipment.

Lie face down on a mat, arms stretched straight out in front of you. Focus on squeezing your glutes and lower back and lift your arms and legs up off the ground. Pause and then lower your arms and legs back to the mat.

Cat Cow

This is a great yoga move said to improve stability, posture and balance. It’s gentle enough to be ideal for anyone with lower back pain and it’s a great way to practice deep breathing to reduce stress!

Start on all fours with your knees and hands on the ground, hands directly below your shoulders. As you inhale, tuck your tailbone and round your back up towards the ceiling, tucking your chin and lengthening the spine. As you exhale, tilt your hips forward and draw your belly button down towards that mat. Lift your chest and chin and keep you shoulders down and back. Repeat.

Elbow Plank

If there’s one core exercise everyone on the planet should master, it’s the good ol’ Plank. This foundational exercise is a great way to strengthen your lower back and build your rhomboids, trapezius and your abdominal muscles – all of which naturally result in a strong posture and reduced risk of injury. 

Start in a plank position, with your elbows directly under your shoulders, forearms on the ground. Brace your core and lift your hips up off the mat so that you are holding your body in a straight line. Keep your butt down and your abs engaged!

High Plank Knee Drive

One of my favorite variations of a Plank! Focus your attention on engaging your abs as you perform these knee drives. The key is to visualize a string pulling your core muscles up to the ceiling through your belly button. Pause at the top of the drive just long enough to lock in form.

Start in a straight arm plank position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. ace your core and lift your hips up off the mat so that you are holding your body in a straight line. Keep your butt down and your abs engaged. Slowly pull your right knee forward and up towards your chest. Pause and then straighten your right leg. Repeat movement on the other side.

Stability Ball Back Extensions

Want to tone your lower back and core? Back extensions target both, as well as your glutes, hips and shoulders. You don’t need to overly exaggerate the movement. In fact slow, steady and subtle wins the game here.

Place the stability ball a couple of feet from a wall. Brace your toes against the wall and balance your hips on the ball, your upper body resting against the top. Place your hands behind your head, brace your core, squeeze your glutes and raise your torso up off of the stability ball. Pause and then lower your body back down in a controlled manner.

Bird Dogs

Bird Dogs are a great core and mobility movement. You’ll find that you have to concentrate on your posture and balance a good deal as your move through the exercise.

Start on all fours, knees and hands on the ground. Brace your core to keep your back straight. Slowly lift your right arm up in front of you while simultaneously lifting your left leg off the ground and stretching it back out behind you. Pause at the top before returning to all fours. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

Strengthen your lower back and you’ll reap the benefits inside and outside of the gym!